1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to devices for protecting dishware within an automatic dishwasher by shielding adjacent pieces of dishware from impingement or other direct contact between one another, and more especially to a dishware protector which is adapted to be interposed between adjacent dishware articles with that thought in mind.
2. Description of the Background Art
Automatic dishwashers are now commonplace in most homes. This class of apparatus has been refined greatly over the years to allow one to clean dishware in a speedy yet efficient manner. In a move toward greater convenience, many automatic dishwasher manufacturers have improved upon the design of their apparatus to a point where bakeware or other cookware may be cleaned within the dishwasher without the need to undertake an inconvenient prewashing effort. Such objectives have been achieved, in part, by increasing the force of the water streams and repositioning the source thereof throughout the cleaning cavity of the apparatus in order that the spray of cleaning water is more forceful to dislodge encrusted food particles. The move toward more powerful dishwashing cycles has not been one altogether without the creation of other problems for the user. A principal problem that has arisen is in the cleaning of fine dishware such as china or crystal, and the cleaning of other lighter weight articles which become subject to violent collisions within the dishwasher due to the greater force of cleaning water. Ordinary glassware may be broken by collision, creating great inconvenience to the user at the very least. When fine china or crystal is subjected to that type of treatment one is no longer faced simply with inconvenience, oftentimes irreplaceable dishware of greater personal value may be ruined. To a certain extent dishwasher manufacturers have responded to that problem source by including a more gentle cleaning cycle which can be employed, for example, when fine china or crystal is to be cleaned. That approach may conveniently take advantage of a reduction in the force of water pressure utilized for the cleaning cycle. However, once the design concerning the placement of waterjets is selected that obviously cannot be altered. Under many circumstances even the reduction in the force of cleaning water is not sufficient to preclude movement of fine china or crystal within the dishwasher and inadvertent collisions which can contribute to chipping and cracking if not complete shattering or breakage. Thus, while tendencies have been reduced, the problem has not been eliminated.
Various devices have been devised for placement within a dishwasher in part to overcome or ameliorate the problems aforesaid. In the main, these include rigid members disposed within the rack of a dishwasher to restrain firmly lightweight articles or articles which have a tipping tendency such as dishes or the like which are able to rock within each individual stage of the rack. Among the patented devices for such purposes may be mentioned those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,901,728; 3,752,322; 3,451,557; 3,451,556 and 3,289,854. The '728 patent discloses a flat or arcuate disc-like member having a central aperture allowing it to fit over the central hub of a rack within a dishwasher designed for receiving cups or the like. The disc is disposed over and in contact with the dishware to hold it, under the force of gravity alone, from dislocation or damage due to the impingement of the cleaning water sprays. Sufficient rigidity and thermal resistivity is imparted to the disc in order that the same retains stiffness and shape during a cleaning cycle. The '322 patent discloses a rack system for dishware, and principally glassware, comprised of a series of parallel rows of spaced pins, some of which are rotatably supported for movement between an upright dish-supporting position and a collapsed position adjacent the bottom of the rack. The pins may be inclined about a pivotal axis in order to be positioned in such a way as to press against lightweight articles and hold the same in a fixed relation with the rack during a cleaning cycle. The '557 and '556 patents disclose devices which are removably secured to the base of a dishwasher rack to support so-called "tipping articles" during a cleaning cycle. A common thread between the two approaches involves the use of a reticulated base in the dishwasher rack which receives specifically configured support members designed to secure or otherwise receive a particular type of dishware during a cleaning cycle. The '854 patent concerns a clip-like member in the nature of a retaining device for a plate or glassware article.
As will now be appreciated from the brief description of the prior art as aforesaid, each device heretofore proposed with an eye toward or having a coincidental function of protecting dishware from collisions during a dishwashing cycle is rather narrowly adapted to specific dishware configurations. The general thrust of the prior art has been to design a specific article to be disposed within a dishwasher to restrain a particular type of dishware during a cleaning cycle. None of the prior art approaches is very versatile. Furthermore, the prior art devices are relatively complex in geometric shape when considered from a manufacturing point of view. Thus, cost of manufacture is higher than need be while packaging costs, transportation costs and display costs are likewise higher because of the configurations suggested by those who have applied themselves in the past to these problems. Accordingly, the need exists to provide a dishware protector which accomplishes the objectives of the prior art but in a much simpler, more straightforward way thus giving rise to improved economy in manufacture, packaging, shipment and display without sacrificing operational efficiency.